Birth name Christopher Tafoya Years active 1996–present Role Musical Artist Name Christopher Tafoya | Origin Portland, Oregon Occupation(s) Rapper, producer | |
Born June 2, 1976 (age 47)
Farmington, New Mexico ( 1976-06-02 ) Labels Strange Famous Records
Camobear Records
Up Above Records
Under the Needle Recordings Albums Oregon Failure, Christopher, Boss Hogs, New Recruits, Hesitation Wounds, Riot by Candlelight Music groups Oldominion, The Chicharones Genres Alternative hip hop, Underground hip hop Similar People Josh Martinez, Onry Ozzborn, Radioinactive, Del the Funky Homosapien, Skratch Bastid | ||
Record label Strange Famous Records Also known as Sleep of Oldominion | ||
Do you have to sacrifice your sleep to be a successful rapper or producer curtspiration
Christopher Tafoya (born June 2, 1976), better known by his stage name Sleep or Sleep of Oldominion, is an American hip hop artist from Farmington, New Mexico, who is currently based in Portland, Oregon. He is a founding member of the Pacific Northwest hip hop collective Oldominion and hip hop duo The Chicharones alongside Josh Martinez. He is currently signed to Strange Famous Records.
Contents
- Do you have to sacrifice your sleep to be a successful rapper or producer curtspiration
- Make rap money while you sleep or work until you die curtspiration
- Early life
- 2001 2008 Riot by Candelight Christopher and The Chicharones
- 2009 2013 Strange Famous Records and Hesitation Wounds
- 2014 present Oregon Failure
- Style
- Studio albums
- EPs
- Singles
- Collaborative albums
- References
Make rap money while you sleep or work until you die curtspiration
Early life
Tafoya grew up in the small town community of Farmington, New Mexico. He is of Mexican descent. At the age of 5, Sleep was already rapping and b-boying with his friends and relatives in the small town, with himself naming Run DMC as an important influence when he first began.
In addition to the hip hop he heard early on, his father was a former bass player for blues musician Gatemouth Brown, and would play a wide array of music, from Mariachi, to Blues, to Rock. Sleep also grew up with seven other brothers who all played musical instruments and had a grandfather who was also a multi instrumentalist. Entering the world of rap, he felt that his talents as both an MC and a writer were overly slept on, hence the creation of his name Sleep.
Growing up in New Mexico, Sleep went to the same school as Onry Ozzborn, which led them to meet Pale Soul. Together, they formed the group Oraclez Creed, which would later become Oldominion after combining with Frontline (Destro, Nyqwil, and Snafu). After the join, the massive Pacific Northwest hip hop collective grew to over twenty members.
2001-2008: Riot by Candelight, Christopher and The Chicharones
Sleep released his debut album, Riot by Candlelight, in 2002. Following the release, he was heavily involved in the multiple albums by Oldominion. In 2001, Sleep met Canadian rapper Josh Martinez by chance encounter at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. Together, the two would create the hip hop duo The Chicharones. Sleep's second album, Christopher, was released in 2005 (and then re-released with bonus tracks in 2009).
2009-2013: Strange Famous Records and Hesitation Wounds
Leading up to 2009, Sleep had contacted Sage Francis in an attempt to receive a feature for his upcoming album, which eventually led to his signing to Sage's independent label Strange Famous Records. In 2009, Sleep released his third solo album, Hesitation Wounds. It features verses from Grayskul and Del the Funky Homosapien as well as production from likes of Zavala and Reanimator, among others.
2014-present: Oregon Failure
Sleep's fourth solo album, Oregon Failure, was released on April 15, 2014 on Strange Famous Records as well. The entire album is produced by Maulskull and has features from Onry Ozzborn and Ceschi, among others.
Style
Sleep's style has been described as "having intricate rhyme schemes and rapid-fire delivery," with his lyrics being both witty and personal.